KLN - How much do I use
 

OK, my KLN arrived on Tuesday and I went ahead and used some but now I'm worried if I got the concentration right.:(

I've tried searching the forum as I'm sure the information will be here somewhere but there are so many references to KLN that it's like a needle-in-a-haystack.

I read the back of the bottle which had different strengths for different purposes but I was not sure what applied to me.

I went with 1 tsp (5ml) in a gallon. Well actually I used 1/2 a tsp in 1/2 a gallon but you get the idea.

I'm using it on a Phal potted in bark. The phal has only two shortish (ex-arial) roots and has shown extream reluctance to grow any more in the last six months and is struggling but still semi-healthy (well I've seen far sicker ones). I'm trying to encourage it to grow more roots of course.

So can anyone confirm what concentration I should use. :hmm

Also, I know it should be kept cool, but I think luke warm or even slightly warmer, water is better for my phals than colder water. If I mix it with warm water will that spoil it :scratchhead:

Rosie,

the recommendation is 1 tsp per gallon for soaking LECA for S/H... that's then way too much for the plants :) for watering, you should use 2-3 drops per gallon... not more than that :)

keep it cool for storage purpose, but don't worry too much when using it, no matter if you use cool or luke warm water, it will be degraded within one or two days...

just take luke water for your Phals, add 2 drops per gallon, and water like normal... :)

You can never have enough KLN !! 1 tsp is too little, I use it for everything jk jk :biggrin:

I use 1/4 tsp a watering, once a week or every other week, and it will take some time to see the results, probably 2-4 weeks but once the plant wants to go on it will do pretty well... Some plants are just stubborn and are slow, these are the runts of the group so I ignore them and let em do what they want, the rest are doing average or better than that.
I would not put it in HOT or warm water, room temp would be good, I keep my kln in a dark room temperature closet and its doing alright.
I've been using it for almost.... 9 months, I love this stuff, I hope you got it from a reputable source, it makes a big difference! trust me
If you have any more q's please ask away :)

Using kln for extended periods of time at to high a dosage can cause flower distortion. I've never had it happen but that's what I have read on here. :) I think it was anything higher than like 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp per gallon with every watering. I use 2 or 3 drops with each watering too. I would think that if you need to really give your orchid a boost it wouldn't hurt to water it with a higher dosage a couple times but not continually. That's just a guess though. :blushing:

I have had it happen to phals, but that's all, and that was with months of about 1 teaspoon per gallon.

Thanks everyone, a couple of drops it is from now on then.

I've put it into a dark cool closet. It's a closet which you notice the cold coming out of when you open it in the winter. (It's the sort of fitted closet without a back, and the wall behind it is a particular cold spot in the house). It's won't be quite so cold in the summer but does stay cool all year.

While I've bought it for one particular problem 'chid I'm going to use up any extra I mix each time on the others so I won't be keeping it once it's mixed.

I bought it from the ONLY source I could find in the UK. I spoke to him on the phone first and he seemed very knowledgeable about what was best for Orchids(he specialises in the accesories needed for orchid growing) and also said he would not ship it on a Friday so that it was not sitting arround in the depot over the weekend.

Anyway, thanks again everyone for the advice. Here's hoping this 'chid grows some roots at last.

Anyone know the shelf life of kln? I don't have a huge collection so even a small bottle could potentially last years.

I was just wondering the same thing.

Is KLN similar to Superthrive ? I have been trying to Purchase in SA but no luck finding it as yet. Could I order from someone in the USA ?

I only use a couple of drops about once a month (or every other watering) per gallon of water, if I do it more often than that it does funky things to my plants/medium. The medium breaks down quicker with the combination of the chemicals (KLN and fertilizer), especially my moss.

It's worked for some of my paphs that are a little more stubborn at putting out new roots so it's something I couldn't be without!